Silver Crimson Black
by SolarRose29
Summary: It doesn't matter that he can't trust his teammates. That they've kept secrets. Made mistakes. Are unpredictable threats. Steve would never do it. He'd never murder them.


See, this is why SolarRose should have a day off. Otherwise, she writes dark little drabbles at 1 am. O_o

Title comes from a Zack Hemsey song.

* * *

He would never do it. He thinks about it. Has spent hours planning it out. Every detail, each particular. But he would never actually kill his teammates.

Clint is so human. His DNA is pure, unmodified, normal. He's just simple flesh and bone. Taken at face value, what you see is what you get. No shadows or secrets. (Except for the wife and children he never mentioned-not that Steve holds that against him or wonders what other important things Clint's never mentioned.) Such raw honesty deserves treatment of the same. A bullet to the head would do it. Nothing fancy, no gimmicks. Only the cold barrel of a favored pistol held mere inches from the marksman's skull. The result might be messy. Brain and blood and bits of hair thrown all over from the force of the bullet's path. But that's how Clint is. Unapologetically natural. Such a straightforward end would be fitting.

Bruce's other side makes him a challenge. As far as Steve can tell, the Hulk's skin is impenetrable. Bulletproof. Impervious to blades. Blunt force trauma doesn't faze the monster (the uncontrollable beast spawned in a foolish attempt to recreate Steve's serum). And it's doubtful that poison would have any effect against irradiated cells. The only method Steve can think of is asphyxiation. It's never been tested but asking if such an option is possible would draw unnecessary attention to the subject. (After all, Steve would never actually do it.) Perhaps locking the brute in an airtight container would do the trick. Or maybe outer space would be a safer place to dispose of the menace. It'd be a shame about the harmless doctor though.

Tony has such an obvious weakness it's nearly begging for itself to be used. The little circle of light in the center of his chest is a neon sign advertising the key to killing the billionaire. It wouldn't be any trouble at all for Steve to slide his fingers against the cool metal casing and pop the thing out. He might not understand all the science behind it, but he grasps the concept that without the arc reactor, tiny slivers of shrapnel will claw their way into the soft tissue of Tony's heart. Stabbing and shredding. Of course, if Tony hadn't made the decision to unscrupulously manufacture and sell such missiles in the first place, his insides wouldn't be in such a vulnerable state. (Steve knows that if a man is capable of such thoughtless mistakes once, he is capable of making them again.)

Thor is not immortal. Despite his inability to get sick, his near eternal youth, and his high pain threshold, the demigod (He's from another planet-who knows how long it will be before he tries to take Steve's beloved Earth-Steve's home-for himself?) can be killed. Any creature with blood inside needs to keep it there-on the inside. The Asgardian can bleed. Steve has seen it. It's a thick syrup that flows in the demigod's veins and Steve wonders if it would be sticky if he took the knife from his belt and slit Thor's throat.

Natasha's skills make her deadly but her body makes her fragile. She is fit and sculpted from muscle. But she is also small. Vulnerable. Steve can nearly feel the smooth surface of her skin beneath his palms. The way his hands would fit around the column of her neck, the final pieces clicking into a jigsaw puzzle. One quick motion. The blink of an eye, the space of a breath. That second between one heartbeat and the next. And then her head would fall forward, beautiful eyes open, delicate bones snapped. It would be bloodless, unlike her past. (He can't trust her. No one can.) She's been a double agent before, always with hidden motives and hidden agendas. Too many secrets and too much red.

But none of that matters. It doesn't matter that he can't trust his teammates. That they've kept secrets. Made mistakes. Are unpredictable threats. Steve would never do it. He'd never _murder_ them.

Unless...

Maybe...

One day...

He did.


End file.
